Refrigerator



Dec. 7, 1937. w. B. RULON 2,101,512

REFRIGERATOR Filed Aug. 25, 1956 9 5| I 1 W I 2r? 1% :a;

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INVEN'YI'OR ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 7 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT o1=1=1ca 3 mg, in;

This invention relates to refrigerators, and has for its main object and feature the control of the temperature in difierent compartments that are independently accessible from the exterior thereof. I

In the accompanying drawing the invention is illustrated in a preferred form in which Fig. l is a view in front elevation of a refrigerator embodying the invention, parts being 11g broken away and in section;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view substantially on the plane of irregular line 2-42 of Fig. l; and

Fig. 3 is a. horizontal sectional view substantially on the plane of irregular line 3-3 of Fig. l.

8 indicates a refrigerator preferably of the modern type in which the refrigeration is accomplished by electricity or gas, and 2 is a main compartment accessible by means of door Such a refrigerator may have one or more auxiliary compartments, in this case indicated by ti, 5, d, and l, and said auxiliary compartments may be either at the side or above or below the main compartment. Such auxiliary compartments are used for the purpose of storing articles that are used most frequently in the household, and it is the purpose of this invention to create an adequately low temperature within such auxiliary compartment or compartments and to do so without appreciably increasing the temperature withinthe main compartment when access is had to the auxiliary compartments.

Suitable partition means are provided dividing the interior of the refrigerator into at least one main compartment 2 and one auxiliary compartment i, and it will be seen that these compartments are of substantially equal depth, but that the auxiliary compartment is relatively narrow as compared with the main compartment. The partition means here extend substantially parallel to the sidewalls of the refrigerator and consist in the present instance of support 8 carried by the front and back walls and of one or more shutters it that are so arranged that when member ll, giving access to the auxiliary chamber independently of door 3, is opened the shutter or shutters willclose, and when member ii is closed the shutter or shutters will open. Member ii in this instance is a drawer slidably mounted in compartment i and resting on rollers l2, and may be guided at its upper portion by steadying rollers 9. A simple expedient for controlling the shutters is as follows: The shutters overlap and are pivotally supported at it being biased toward their closed position by gravity. At the end near the backwall of the refrigerator,

the shutters carry projections or cams i4. Consequently when drawer ii is in its closed position, the wall of said drawer will engage cams it and open the shutters, but when drawer ii is opened even but slightly (Fig, 2) the shutters will automatically close. Drawer ii may have openings i5 and it in its sidewalls, if desired, to freely circulate the air. It wil be observed that owing to the difierence in width of the two compartments, at convection current will be established through the auxiliary compartment to the main compartment when the shutters are open, and it will further be seen that the inward tilting, with respect to the main compartment, of the shutters together with their overlapping feature tends to emphasize the establishing of such convection current.

I claim: V

1. The combination with a refrigerator, of partition means dividing the interior thereof into a. 20 I main compartment and an auxiliary compartment independently accessible from the exterior of the refrigerator, said partition means including one or more movable shutters which when open tend to establish air communication between the com-- 25 partments and which when closed tend to prevent such communication, a door giving access to the main compartment, a drawer, independent of said door, slidably mounted in said auxiliary compartment, and means controlled by the opening and closing movements of said drawer to close the shutter or shutters when the drawer is opened and to open the shutter or shutters when the drawer is closed.

2. The combination with a refrigerator, of partition means dividing the interior thereof into a main compartment and an auxiliary compartment of substantially equal depth and independently accessible from the exterior of the refrigerator, said partition means including one or more movable'shutters which when open tend to establish air communication between. the compartments and which when closed tend to prevent such communication, a door giving access to the main compartment, a drawer, independent of said door, slidably mounted in said auxiliary compartment, and means controlled by the opening and closing movements of said drawerto close the shutter or shutters when the drawer is opened and to open the shutter or shutters when the drawer is closed.

3. The combination with a refrigerator, of partition means extending substantially parallel to the sidewalls thereof dividing the interior thereof into a. main compartment and an auxiliary com- 55 partment independently accessible from the exterior of the refrigerator, said partition means including one or more movable shutters which when open tend to establish air communication between the compartments and which when closed tend to prevent such communication, a door giving access to the main compartment, a drawer independent of said door, slidably mounted in said auxiliary compartment, and means controlled by the opening and closing movements of said drawer to close the shutter or shutters when the drawer is opened and to open the shutter or shut- 5 ters when the drawer in closed.

WATSON B. RULON. 

